Donald Trump wants you to know that his reality show is changing America as we know it. "The Apprentice," he'd have us believe, is more than just a gold mine. It is a statement on our most pressing social issues.
No, seriously.
I suppose it all began in Season One, when a group of female contestants won their challenge (luring people into a Planet Hollywood? Admittedly a tall order.) primarily by hiking up their skirts and baring their midriffs. At the end of the episode, Donald had a chat with the women in which he directly addressed the issue. This, he said, is not how it works in my company.
It was a strange moment, because I found myself almost liking Donald Trump . The guy had a point. This was a show about business, not
business, after all. On the other hand, to be schooled by Donald Trump, of all people, on the virtues of feminism? More than enough to make your skin crawl.
For Season Two, Trump decided to turn the Apprentice into a battle of the sexes by dividing the two teams into all men and all women. Season three, he did college grads versus high school grads. My hunch is that he saw, correctly, that his little game highlighted gender and class issues in a serious way. He wanted play it out. I'd also wager that, incorrectly, he also saw "The Apprentice" as something akin to a laboratory, in which he could answer some of life's most mysterious questions? Venus? Mars? Oh no, my friend,
the boardroom.
Trump's epiphany that reality shows are at their core a picture of contemporary American society is up there on the list of the biggest "duh" moment ever. But because he actually seems to believe that he is the first person to have figured this out, he comes at it from a decidedly unique and un-nuanced angle. It is kind of beautiful in its naivete, really. Like, how cute, really? He's making just making another bazillion dollars, he's making a
point! You go, Donald!
And so there is today's news item. Trump is considering a
Battle of the Races, for the next season of The Apprentice. Yes, that means what it sounds like it means. He wants to pit white people against black people to see who's the best make at making, as the song goes, monay monay MO-nay!
No, seriously.
Ok let's talk for just a minute about how black people have fared in the world of reality TV -- because I don't think it is news to anyone that it has not been pretty. We could talk about
David, from Real World LA, or the numerous
American Idol contestants who were robbed completely blind, or more recently,
Stacie J, who the other (white) Apprentice candidates, decided was just batshit crazy...The list could go on, but there are actually a couple of these shows I haven't watched.
It is seriously shameful stuff that is worth addressing. If only Trump was looking to produce an essay about how reality television highlights what ails us as a culture...
Bwah! I don't think so! Just as with the battles of sex and class, he is looking to
answer the question. Who is smarter? Who makes better decisions? Who can handle the pressure? Men, or women? Rich people, or not-so-rich people? Black people, or white people?
The concept is as maniacal as it is egotistical and thankfully, I think the PC police will reign this one in at the end of the day. "Needless to say," says Trump, "not everybody thinks it's a good idea."
